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BABY PRODUCTS 101

To my ladies having babies, I dedicate this post to you. I’ve had a lot of conversations recently about my “must-have baby items” after recently having had back to back boys. While it’s fresh in my head, which is not long these days, I figured I would group some of the top contenders that made new parenting, and parenting a second time, easier than it would have been without. Here is a brief roundup of items and why they worked for me. I’m happy to answer any questions about anything else and if I missed something let me know!

1. The Lamb Swing. No, it doesn’t go with your new couch or midcentury bookshelf BUT it does provide a much needed break for your arms and back during the first 4 – 6 months after bringing baby home. Seriously, just buy it!2. White Noise Maker. Controversial when you talk to parents is the white noise maker. You definitely don’t want to get baby hooked on sound for sleep BUT I will say this, there is a 20 minute setting on these guys that helps “take the edge off” for your little one before turning off. More importantly, you can travel with it, which is invaluable when you are in a new environment and baby won’t settle down. My kids don’t need this to fall asleep if that’s any consolation and we used it since birth.3. Books: The Petit Appetit has great intro chapters that go with your babies age range on what food they can be eating, how to prepare it, etc. It helped me understand better when to transition to different foods and beverages. The Sleep Lady’s guide is heaven sent. Read it, practice it, and you’ll have your nights back by around 6 months, sooner if you’re lucky. I didn’t go all out and do the entire “shuffle” she describes but did do more of a basic check-in shuffle and it totally works!4. DVDS: Yoga helped rotate my HUGE babies while I was pregnant and made delivery maybe a little bit easier. Tracy Anderson’s post-pregnancy dvd is the best there is, period. Do it 2-3 times a week after you get clearance from your doctor around week 6 and you’ll see results in 10 weeks.5. Aden + Anais swaddles are the softest there are. Tip: When you get them wash them a couple times to really make them that much softer and more flexible to wrap your baby in. The Boba wrap was one I didn’t discover til baby number 2. I was intimidated to do any wrapping with my first guy and went through literally every wrap and sling there was til I came upon this one. It is easy to tie up and your baby is snug and happy, it’s great!6. When all else fails bounce! If you don’t have one, go buy yourself an exercise ball and keep it handy. The first 3 months baby likes to be held and soothed by bouncing, and not the kind you can do on your own. They really like to be bounced, it’s crazy. Don’t worry this phase only lasts 3 months but this will save you during super fussy periods. Also, take an hour and watch Harvey Karp’s Happiest Baby on the Block. The 5 “S”s are game changers at the beginning, memorize them and use them!